Getting Back To You
by JoChryedLover
Summary: After the events of 10/11/11, how can Christian and Syed find their way back from the ruins of their relationship?
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Getting Back To You**

**Chapter Rating: K**

**Summary: After the events of 10/11/11, how can Chryed come back from the ashes of their relationship?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Christian and Syed, unfortunately. If I did, they would never have split up in the first place. **

_I seem to be incapable of waiting for a Chryed reunion so I thought I'd do one of my own! I'm going to use the possible indication of a New Year reunion as a base and see where my mind takes me :)_

It's been six weeks and two days since I made the worst mistake of my life and walked out on the only man I've ever loved. In those six weeks and two days, I've had little contact with anyone from Walford. I called Jane once, six weeks and one day ago, to let her know that I was alright. I called Roxy to tell her I was sorry for leaving her when she needed me. My fingers have lingered over the call button, ready to press for me to hear the only voice I want to hear, the voice I dread hearing again, but I've never mustered up the courage to actually make the call. Calling him will only increase the pain we're both feeling, and will make me regret my decision to leave even more.

Its Christmas day, and I'm in Brighton. We'd been so happy when we came here, all those months ago, and when I left, I just needed to be somewhere I'd felt close to him, to remind myself that we did have some good times. Jane has called me several times, but I've been ignoring her calls. I've gone for a run, despite the cold weather, trying to clear my head. My feet pound the pavement, and I feel safe. Thi is where I'm in my element. The pain in my legs is a welcome relief from the pain in my heart. It's not the first time I've spent Christmas alone, but it's something I'd hoped I'd never have to do again. I get back to the flat I'm renting and jump straight in the shower. It's a quiet affair; I rarely feel in the mood to sing in the shower these days. These days, it's all I can do to carry on and not lock myself away from the rest of the world.

For the first couple of weeks, I tried to force myself to go out, a club or a bar, and just find someone, anyone, to talk to. But after the first few attempts, I gave up. There was something wrong with everyone who seemed even the remotely bit interested in me. They were the wrong height, their hair was too short, their eyes too light. And after the first couple of weka, I realised what all the nameless men were lacking: they weren't HIM. Realising that almost made me give up and go back to Walford and beg him to take me back. But maybe Ben Mitchell, with all his faults, was right; maybe I did need someone who was straightforward, uncomplicated. But not yet. I wasn't ready to move on yet, my heart wasn't ready to let someone else in, to trust in someone else. Once bitten, twice shy. Or at least, I should be. But I kept going back to him time and time again. I always thought that, this time, it would be different. HE would be different. But I'd just been kidding myself. It would never work between us, not now. We'd hurt each other too much to just be able to forgive and forget. I loved him with all my heart, but it just wasn't enough anymore.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Getting Back To You**

**Chapter Rating: K**

**Summary: After the events of 10/11/11, how can Chryed come back from the ashes of their relationship?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Christian and Syed, unfortunately. If I did, they would never have split up in the first place.**

****_Two chapters in the space of less than twenty four hours? I must be feeling generous! Or I'm just dying for a reunion and want to get there as fast as possible ;)_

Its one in the morning and I'm up with Yasmin while Amira sleeps. I've taken on the role of the night feeds, and I tell Amira that this is because I feel guilty that I have missed so much of Yasmin's young life. But the truth is, I dislike the night, and the loneliness it brings. During the day, I can keep up my fake pretence that_ everything is ok. _That I'm coping. When in fact I'm still falling apart. It's only Yasmin's presence in my life that is holding me together. Knowing that she needs me to be strong for her. I think again about Amira's offer. That maybe a move to Karachi would be best for all of us. This flat, this Square, everywhere I go are memories of him, of us. With a move to Karachi, I could have a chance to move on, to try to stop my heart from loving him. But a move would also mean admitting that it's over, and part of me is still clinging to that bit of hope that he's going to come sweeping thorough that door.

Although, if he did walk back through that door, he needn't think that I'd be pleased to see him. He needn't think that he could just pick up where he left off and everything would be hunky dory between us. Nope, when he does walk back through that door, I'll be giving him hell, and then some. Leaving me like that, to clear up the mess made by him, to try to get our flat looking as lovely as it had done before he'd gone and wound Phil Mitchell up. And what does he do? He runs away and leaves other people to fix the problems he's left behind. Well, he'd better have a bloody good excuse. And a bloody massive apology to go with it. Then, I might think about taking him back.

Because, despite Jane insisting that it's really over this time, I can't bring myself to believe her. She doesn't know what we've been through the last few months, doesn't know what we were planning. You don't get engaged to someone and then tell them that love isn't enough anymore. We belong together, and so I can't bring myself to seriously consider a move to Karachi when I know in my soul that he'll be back. It may be in weeks, months, maybe even a year down the line, but I know that, someday, we'll be together again. And I'm prepared to wait as long as it takes for him to realise that, too.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: Getting Back To You**

**Chapter Rating: K**

**Summary: After the events of 10/11/11, how can Chryed come back from the ashes of their relationship?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Christian and Syed, unfortunately. If I did, they would never have split up in the first place.**

_Sorry I haven't updated in a few __days. I've had a bit of an emotional rollercoaster in RL, so haven't been able to make myself even think about updating. Feeling a bit more calm about RL now though, so should be back to updating pretty regularly on weekdays._

Jane's been calling me all day. I've been trying to ignore her but something's telling me that it's urgent. Maybe she's heard from mum, or maybe one of the kids isn't well. So in the end, I ring her back.

"Christian, I've been calling you for days!" her voice is shrill, panicked even, so I'm immediately concerned.

"I've been busy," I feign nonchalance though, I've found it easier this way since I left.

"You need to come back, Christian!"

I sigh down the phone at her suggestion. "I'm not coming back, Jane, we've been through this a hundred times! There's nothing there for me anymore."

"You still love Syed though, Christian."

I flinch, as I always do when I hear his name these days. It's just too painful, and I consider hanging up. "Its not enough anymore, Jane. You know it isn't."

"You need to swallow your pride and fight for the man you love, Christian, or you'll lose him forever."

"You think I didn't try, Jane? You think I want to live apart from him like this?"

"Well soon enough you'll have no choice."

I sit up from my place on the sofa, suddenly interested in what she has to say. I always knew that, sooner or later, my heart would betray me. "What are you going on about?"

"He's moving to Karachi, Christian. Syed's moving to Pakistan with Amira and his baby, unless you come back here and fight for him!"

I almost drop the phone in shock...

c~s

_Earlier that day..._

I've been helping Tam and Afia out at the restaurant recently, and mum, as usual, has been barking orders at all and sundry. Although I have to admit that I've missed working with her. My client list has dropped dramatically since HE left, yet another bone I'll have to pick with him when he comes swanning back in here, and so there just hasn't been the work going in the salon. That, coupled with poor Tanya's illness, pretty much ensured the closure of the salon for the foreseeable. And since my business proposal was turned down, working in the restaurant is basically the only option to keep a roof above my daughter's head.

I sigh inwardly as Amira comes floating into the restaurant, and pretend to listen to her woes about how she can't afford a pair of shoes she really wants. I have more important things to worry about than her latest fashion crisis.

"Syed? Are you even listening to me?" I can hear the impatience thick in her voice and instantly my walls slam up, protecting myself from the outside world. On the outside, I'm fine, completely back to my old self. But on the inside, it's still tearing me apart to be away from the man I love. At night, I mostly hold my daughter in my arms and wish that I was being held the same way.

"Sorry?" I don't even bother to act as though I was listening. I see Amira rolling her eyes at me.

"I said there's a really lovely pair of shoes that I've got my eye on..." the implication of her statement hangs thick in the air.

"Well I've only just got enough to cover this month's rent, Amira. There are more important things than your shoe collection, Amira." I tell it as it is. In a way, I'm relieved that I don't have to treat her like a princess any more. I regret all of the hurt I caused her, but the one thing I don't regret about our marriage is Yasmin. She's the only good thing to come from all of this.

"Syed," I can hear the moan in her voice, and have to stop myself from rolling my eyes at her. "When am I going to be able to afford something for myself? All our money goes on bills and on Yasmin! I haven't had anything new in weeks!"

"It might help if you actually had a job, Amira!" I say incredulously. I don't like to snap at her, but I've reached breaking point. I was in the kitchen and one of OUR songs was playing, and that has pretty much pushed me over the edge. "I'm bringing in just enough to keep us going, I can't afford to buy you luxuries as well!"

"Well maybe if we were in Karachi already we wouldn't have this problem! If we went out there my grandparents would support us, we could provide better for Yasmin out there." She's used this same statement to try to convince me to move to Karachi for the past couple of weeks, since Yusef brought it up at Christmas. I've always been reluctant to move, but I dot know how much longer I'm supposed to wait for him. I haven't had a single piece of news about him since the day Jane told me it was over. How long was I supposed to wait for a man who clearly didn't want to fight for me anymore? Why should I fight for him when he clearly didn't feel the same about me? I kept asking myself these questions, but my heart already knew the answer. I was still so irrevocably in love with him that it was clouding all other avenues other than the one in which I stay in Walford and he comes back and makes it OK again.

But maybe a fresh start away from all the memories was exactly what I needed. Everywhere I went in the flat or in the Square held a memory for me, and it was impossible to get my heart to even consider moving on when there were echoes of him everywhere I looked. I knew I would never be completely happy here without him, and I didn't want Yasmin growing up in a world where her father was miserable all the time.

I knead my fingers into my forehead in an attempt to rid myself of some of the tension. "Yeah, maybe you're right," I sigh, ignoring the part of me that was screaming at me to stop saying this. "Maybe a chane of scenery would be good for me. For all of us.."

Amira positively screams at the idea that I finally may have given in...


	4. Chapter 4

**Title: Getting Back To You**

**Chapter Rating: K**

**Summary: After the events of 10/11/11, how can Chryed come back from the ashes of their relationship?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Christian and Syed, unfortunately. If I did, they would never have split up in the first place.**

_I know the timing's a little different to what it will be in EE, but I don't think it's a big factor in how this story's going to play out. I'm also going to mention the upcoming Zainab storyline, but not in much detail. Thanks for sticking with me (if anybody's still reading!)_

I wake up and immediately feel his loss. You'd think I'd be used to it by now. But still the bed feels too big, too empty, too cold, without his muscular frame taking up the room. I used to complain that I hardly had any space in here with him, but right now I'd give anything to have him back in here with me, taking up as much space as he wanted. I pretend that I'm OK, that I'm over him, when really I'm anything but. I still can't even begin to picture my life without him in it. I go through the motions everyday, pretending for the sake of others. Because I don't like to worry them, with everything else they've got going on. They deserve to live with one less drama in their lives. But still I miss the feel of him next to me, the touch of his skin, the sound of his voice. I pretend that I don't miss him singing in the shower, but in reality, I'm still expecting him to come barging through the door, just like he used to.

c~s

I wake up in a strange, unfamiliar bed, and immediately wish that I was back at home, with him. I still can't bare to think his name. I check the date on my phone. Great. Today's the day. Today, he heads off to Pakistan to start his new life, while I'm still sat here pining for my old one. Jane's told me time and time again to come back, to stop him from leaving, but I know that if I see him again, I'll just collapse. I still love him so much that it hurts, but I know that there's no way back for us. His trust in me is virtually non-existant, and if a relationship doesn't have trust, it's doomed from the start. But still I can't stop the voice that's nagging away at the back of my head. 'Give him one more chance'. But I've already given him chance after chance and he's blew them all. Maybe not intentionally, but surely the fact that we can barely stay in a functional relationship for 6 months without one of us screaming at the other is a sign that we're just not meant to be. I sigh and drag myself out of bed, missing the peck on my shoulder as I go to take a shower. Maybe, one day soon, I can get over him and get on with my life, but I don't think that day will be in the near future.

c~s

We're all packed and ready to go. Mum is already over there with Kamil; after what happened with Yusef, she wanted to get away from here as fast as possible, and I can't really say that I blame her. She said that there were too many reminders of that time here, and I have to admit that I feel the same way. It's like all of our lives started to fall apart when Mum's ex-husband had walked back into her life, and if I was honest, I blamed him for most of the pain which had been caused over the last few months, including the day the love of my life left me. I've lost count of the amount of times I've asked Jane if he's definitely not coming back. In truth, though, it's been months since I saw him, and the chances of him coming back now are slim. But I feel the need to keep asking. One little glimmer of hope that he was coming back would probably change everything for me. But I know the truth. He doesn't want me, and the baggage which comes with me.

The taxi pulls up outside and I let the blinds snap back into place. It feels strange to leave this place, the place we used to call home. But all that's gone now, all that remains are memories and dreams.I walk out to the taxi with our bags, and hug my brother while Amira settles Yasmin. I'm going to miss him, but I promised Mum that I'd at least give Pakistan a go, for her support if for nothing else. I'm about to clamber into the taxi when I hear my name being called.

"Syed!" It's Jane, and I wonder what she could possibly want. If it's a message from Dad, I'll tell her that he can call us once we get to Pakistan and tell us himself. It's the least he owes Mum after shacking up with Jane when they were barely divorced. At least Mum waited until the divorce was completed to agree to marry Yusef, even if it was the wrong choice to make.

"Jane, I've got to go. Tell Dad I'll call him when we land."

"Syed, this isn't about your Dad. This is about you and Christian."

It still kills me to hear his name, and I have to fight to keep myself from losing it. Especially in front of Jane, who I know will be only too happy to inform her brother that I'm still struggling to cope while he's off enjoying his new life. "There is no me and Christian," I tell her. Saying his name is even harder than hearing it. "He's made that perfectly clear."

"He still loves you, Syed. I know he does."

"Well where is he, then? If he cares about me so much, why did he leave me?" I've asked myself the same question a million times, even though I know the answer. Because I wasn't strong enough or brave enough to fight for him.

"Please Syed, just stay and talk to him."

"No Jane, he's had his chance to talk to me. I didn't stop calling him for days after he first left." In reality, I still find myself calling him sometimes, in the middle of the night, when I can't sleep, hoping that he can't sleep either. Hoping that, this time, he'll pick up the phone and talk to me. "It's over, like you've told me a million times. Now I've really got to go." Before she can reply, I find myself in the cab beside Amira and my Mum. As the cab drives away down George Street, though, I could swear that I could make out Jane talking frantically on her mobile..

c~s

I'm in a cab heading to the airport. I still don't fully understand what I'm doing, why it had struck such a nerve with me when Jane had told me that Syed was moving to Pakistan. I suppose if he was still in Walford, it was always going to be easier for me to get him back, if he'd even have me. But if he was in Pakistan, I had this terrible feeling that I'd lose the Syed that I'd grown to love. That he would be pushed back into the closet by his mother, and by Amira, and that the connection I'd once had with him would be lost forever. Now that I knew that there was a very real chance that I'd never see him again, it was easier to think about him. To think his name. Not because I was glad that he was moving, but because I was terrified. I still love him so much, and the thought of Amira getting her claws back into him was enough to stop me in my tracks. I couldn't lose him to her again. She'd won too many times in the past.

As the cab pulls up at the airport, I'm suddenly afraid. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do, where I'm supposed to go. In the movies, the hero always knows just where to go to find the love of their life and stop them from boarding that plane. But right now, in London, Christian Clarke has no idea what to do. And then, as if by chance, or magic, or fate, whatever you want to call it, I see him. Just out the corner of my eye, but I see him. He's lifting his daughter's pram out the back of a cab behind me, and he's never looked more stunning. Hair all dishevelled and in his eyes, a tight fitting black tee and his old leather jacket. Those jeans I bought him that are just a bit too tight. I'm out of the cab as quick as lightning, not even caring how much I've paid the driver. I'm completely focused on him. It feels as though we've been apart for a lifetime. And I know now, there's nothing I want more in this world than to hold him in my arms again and call him mine. I don't care about the trust issues, or his family baggage. We can work through it. Because he is the most important thing in the world to me, and I was a fool to let him go again.

I clear my throat and shout the word I've been wanting to say for the last few months.

"Syed."

_Sorry to leave it on a cliffy! I'm evil, I know! :P_


	5. Chapter 5

**Title: Getting Back To You**

**Chapter Rating: K**

**Summary: After the events of 10/11/11, how can Chryed come back from the ashes of their relationship?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Christian and Syed, unfortunately. If I did, they would never have split up in the first place.**

_Thought I'd add a little from Amira's point of view. Not much though, because I really can't stomach her at the moment! _

I spin around as I hear THAT voice saying THAT name. My eyes immediately find him but it's as though I don't exist to him. It's as though the only thing he really sees is Syed. Like nothing else in the world matters to him. I glance over at Syed and he's motionless. It's like he can barely take his away from him in case he disappears. I remember when he used to look at me like that and realise that, for all his faults, Dr Khan was right. Christian twisted MY Syed's mind, made him think that there was no other way than to love a man, as he did. MY Syed was still in there somewhere, struggling to break free from the spell THAT MAN had placed on him.

Well, there was no way I was letting him worm his way back into Syed's life again. I had worked so hard to get Syed to agree to this move, even if he didn't know yet that it would be permanent, and I wasn't going to let HIM take Syed away again. He had taken too much away from me in the past few years, and I was desperate to hold onto Syed now that I had him onside again.

"Syed, we need to go," I hope he can hear the urgency in my voice, but he doesn't seem to be able to take his eyes off Christian. "Syed!"

"Take Yasmin out of the cold," he suggests, but I'm damned if I'm going anywhere.

"Syed, we -"

"Please, Amira," he pleads with me. "I'll be right behind you." I can hear the promise in his voice, and although I know that his promises to me mean nothing where Christian's involved, but I know that he wouldn't leave his daughter, or his mother, when they both need him so much.

So I reluctantly head inside with Yasmin, not going too far to make sure that Syed keeps his word, but I am grateful for the warmth, away from the January chill.

c~s

I hear my name being called from behind me, and I spin around, hardly able to believe my ears. But they haven't deceived me. He's there, standing across the road from me. My eyes drink the sight in, trailing over his body, looking for any changes which may have taken place over the last few months. But he's exactly the same. Apart from his eyes. They seem dull now, lifeless. I realise that they match my own. I have so many questions spinnng round in my head, but I can't put any of them into words. I'm scared to move, incase he's not real. I can't even bare to blink.

The magic is broken as Amira's voice starts to penetrate into my mind. But I hardly hear what she's saying; most of my attention is still focused on Christian. I don't care that I'm supposed to be on my way to catch a flight to join my Mum in Pakistan, I don't care about Amira's business plan, I don't care about how many times Jane has told me that I need to move on. With Christian back in front of me, once again he's all that matters to me. I hear Amira call my name, a trace of urgency in her voice, but I need answers before I can even think about getting on that plane. The most important one has finally bubbled to my lips, and I struggle to focus enough on Amira to answer her.

"Take Yasmin out of the cold," anything, just to give me and Christian some time alone to get the answers I crave from him.

"Syed, we -"

"Please, Amira. I'll be right behind you," I promise her, not fully knowing if I'll be keeping that promise. She finally heads inside, and I feel like I can finally breathe. He matches my movements, sucking in a needed breath before he starts to move towards me. I'm willing my feet to move but they're stuck fast. I crave to be near him again, but a part of me is dreading what he has to say. What if he's come to wish me well, what if he's met someone else? Before I have time to let my mind conjure up any more negative thoughts, he's within touching distance, and I take a breath, inhaling the scent which I've missed so much.

"How can you be here?" my voice is little more than a whisper and I struggle to regain my composure. "I mean, why?"

"Jane told me you were going," he replies, and I bask in the voice I've missed so much, barely managing to control my desire to reach out and touch him. "I had to try.." the rest of his sentence is cut off as he crushes my lips with his own. Before I realise what I'm doing, I melt into his kiss, moaning softly into his welcoming mouth. His lips feel so good against mine. Regretfully, I pull away, realising that I need to hear why its so important to him to stop me getting on that plane.

"So it's OK for you to go swanning off at a moments notice, but when I want to do the same, you suddenly have something to say to me?" I know he can hear the hurt in my voice by the way his eyes drop and he sucks in a breath through closed teeth. "You left me, Christian, not the other way around." I remind him, feeling more than a little put out that he seems to think that he can snap his fingers and I'll come running. Or stop running.

"And I've been regretting it ever since, Sy," he replies. "You don't know how much I wanted to come back."

"Then why didn't you?" I can't stop the pain from entering my voice. I don't need to hear this right now. I have more important things to worry about right now than his regrets.

"I thought I was doing the right thing, Sy. Making things easier for you."

"You think it's been easy?" I can't believe I'm hearing this! "In what way was this right, or easy? It was the easy way out for you, Christian. The rest of us just had to pick up the pieces." I hear a plane over head and it brings me back to reality. "Look, Christian, I've gotta go.."

"Please, Sy!" he takes my hand in his and grips on as tight as though his life depends on it. "I'm sorry. Please, just give me a chance to make this right. I need you." I look up at his heartbroken face, and I'm sure it's the same as my own. Right at that moment, I don't care that he left me. I don't care that he said that love wasn't enough any more. All I know is that I don't want to see him look that way because of me ever again. I once promised myself that I'd never hurt him again, but I have, and it kills me. Because I've lost all sense of reason, I cup his face between my hands and plant a soft kiss on his lips.

"I have to go," I stress to him. I don't want to go, not now, not when we've got so much we need to say to one another. But I can't leave Mum out there on her own, either. He opens his mouth to argue but I cut him off. "I don't have a choice, Christian. Mum needs me." I frantically check my watch, hugging my coat tighter around me against the winter chill. "I don't have time to explain right now, but please, wait for me." I peck his lips once more before regretfully turning away from him and heading inside.

"Sy!" I hear him run after me, and I turn to face him with my hand outstretched.

"Please, Christian. Wait for me. Jane can fill you in," I toss my flat keys to him, and he catches them skilfully, cradling them to him as though they are his lifeline. "Just be there when I come back." With that, I turn and stride away from him before I can change my mind, finding Amira and Yasmin further inside the building. As we queue for our flight, I hope and pray that Christian will do as I ask and will wait for me to return. Before I decide if this move to Pakistan will be permanent, like I know Mum and Amira want it to be, I need to know where I stand with Christian. If there's even the slightest chance he'll have me back, I know I'm going to take it.


	6. Chapter 6

**Title: Getting Back To You**

**Chapter Rating: K**

**Summary: After the events of 10/11/11, how can Chryed come back from the ashes of their relationship?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Christian and Syed, unfortunately. If I did, they would never have split up in the first place.**

_I'm so excited for the MOAMU right now, I think I'm starting to obsess over it a little. But I guess that's just what Johnny and Marc do to me!_

I can't believe he just left me like that. No explanation to why he was going, he just asked me to wait for him. He didn't even tell me how long he was going to be away for. I'm lying in what used to be (and hopefully still is) our bed, breathing in his scent and wishing, not for the first time in these past few months, that he was with me. Seeing him again has brought it all back to me; everything I ever felt for him, everything we went through together. And I realise that I never stopped loving him. Even when I was trying to make myself believe that I was better off without him. Even when I was in those sleazy nightclubs, I was never truly over him. How could I have been, when my heart never stopped loving him, even for a second.

I hear a key turn in the lock and I sigh inwardly as I remember there's yet another disgruntled person I have to face. Jane. She's been calling me and I've not been able to make myself pick up the phone. I didn't want to shatter the illusion that Sy was back here with me. Letting out a sigh, I drag myself off the bed and back into reality, knowing that I have to face her sooner or later. I walk out into the hallway and the surprise on her face says it all.

"Christian!" she has her arms around me in a second and when she pulls away it looks like she doesn't know whether to kiss me or kill me. "I've been calling you!"

"I know," I hope my voice sounds as apologetic as I was aiming for. "I'm sorry babe, I just needed some time."

"Where's Syed? You have talked to him, Christian?" I can see the disappointment in her face at the possibility that I hadn't actually talked to him.

"Yeah, I've seen him." I try to sound happier than I feel about this, but my head's all over the place. I don't know what to think about anything anymore.

"So where is he? Come to think of it, how're you here?"

"He's on his way to Pakistan," I tell her, and her face drops. "He said his Mum needed him and begged me to wait for him. Said you'd be able to fill me in." I look to her for an answer, the one I so desperately need. I need to know why he didn't stay to sort this out. I need to know why he left when I need him so much.

"I'll put the kettle on," Jane sighs, pushing me down onto the sofa. "It's a long story."

c~s

"I can't believe it," I say for the millionth time. "Poor Zainab. Poor Tamwar! I can't believe I didn't even notice the damage to the B&B!" I look out of the window across the Square to see the charred remains of the B&B. Seeing the evidence like this brings it all home. I wasn't here when Sy needed me. I was too busy being stubborn and selfish, too wrapped up in my own self pity to worry about what might be happening to the people I'd left behind. "I should have been here..."

"You can't beat yourself up like this, Christian. You weren't to know what was going to happen. You're here now, that's what matters."

"And Sy's on the other side of the world, Jane!" I see her flinch out of the corner of my eye and I immediately calm down. "Sorry, babe. It's not your fault I wasn't here. It's not your fault I ran when the going got tough." I drop my head into my hands, sitting down next to Jane on the sofa. "I dunno Jane, maybe I should just cut my losses and leave. For good this time."

"Syed asked you to stay, Christian. He must at least want to talk to you, at least try to sort this out. At least stay and talk to him. You went to all this trouble to see him, another few days won't hurt. And besides, I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too." I pull her in for a hug, probably squeezing her too tight but she didn't seem to mind. She must have needed me as much as I needed her. I would stay, even if it was just to spend some time with my sister.

We both jump as my phone starts vibrating and ringing between us, and I quickly pull away, hoping to see a certain name flashing across the screen. It's not him though, and I hold in a sigh as I'm greeted with Roxy's name instead. I press the answer button, holding the phone away from my ear in preparation for her onslaught.

"CHRISTIAN!" she all but yells down the phone. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back?" I chuckle as Jane leaves the room, mouthing a silent 'thank you' to her.

"Sorry babe, I didn't know it myself until a couple of hours ago."

"Come on, meet me in the Vic. You need to tell me everything that's happened since you've been gone!" I roll my eyes slightly at her, but I know that I'll go. I've missed Roxy, too.

"Alright babe, give me ten."

I suddenly feel another dose of guilt as I put the phone down. Roxy needed me so much when I left, yet another person I've let down over the past couple of months. If I have to leave again, I'll make sure that I finish all of my business here before I go. I don't want to have to deal with anymore guilt over anyone I've left behind. But a much larger part of me was hoping that I wouldn't have to leave again. Now that I'd seen Sy again, I had no intention of leaving him ever again.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title: Getting Back To You**

**Chapter Rating: K**

**Summary: After the events of 10/11/11, how can Chryed come back from the ashes of their relationship?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Christian and Syed, unfortunately. If I did, they would never have split up in the first place.**

_Two chapters in one day? I do like to spoil you from time to time! I've just read that Christian possibly has a one night stand before the MOAMU, so let's just crack on with some happier times, eh? _

As my feet touch the ground back in England, I suddenly feel afraid again. What if he's left, despite me begging him to stay? I hadn't spoken to him since I'd left just over a week ago, and so I couldn't be sure that he was even still in Walford. I hoped beyond everything else that he had done as I'd asked, and that I hadn't left my Mum and daughter in Pakistan for nothing. Ever since I'd set eyes on him again a couple of weeks ago, I hadn't been able to get him out of my head. Even though Mum had needed me so much, I hadn't been able to fully concentrate on helping her to get over what had happened to her when there were so many other things going on in my head. In the end, I'd just given up and headed back to Walford, desperate to find out where me and Christian stood.

c~s

I let myself into my flat and take a deep breath, bracing myself for what could be behind the door. I clear my throat and am about to let myself in when I hear a voice from the other side.

"You get the tea bags and milk, babe? I'm dying for a cup of tea!" his voice stops me in my tracks, and as he opens the door from the other side, the breath is almost knocked out of me as I'm greeted with his smiling face. He looks a lot happier than he did the last time I saw him. The light is almost back in his eyes and he just seems happier with himself. He meets my eyes and I see a hint of something -relief? - in his eyes. "Sy..."

"Christian," he stands to the side to let me in and I finally make my feet move. They carry me into the flat and onto the sofa before I can even register that I've moved. A few moments later and he's sat next to me, sitting too far away from me for my liking. I want him to shift closer, but I'm afraid that he doesn't want to. What if he doesn't want this, us, anymore? I clear my throat to speak but he gets there before me.

"How's your Mum? Jane filled me in on what happened."

"She's...ok. I think," I take a breath, not quite knowing what to say and what to keep to myself. "I don't know, Christian," I admit. "I've had so much going on in my head, I haven't been able to concentrate much on her." We're both silent for a while, and I yearn to reach out and take his hand.

"Sy..." "Christian..." We both chuckle as we both speak each other's names at the same time.

"Where do we stand, Christian? I mean, you came to the airport..." He takes my hand, squeezing it tightly in his, and I feel our instant connection as though we'd never been apart. Maybe because in my heart, he'd never left me.

"I love you, Sy." He says it as though it's the most obvious thing in the world. "And I can't cope with another day without you. I'm so sorry that I left you. And even more sorry that I stayed away as long as I did."

"How can I be sure you won't do it again, Christian? It was so easy for you to say that love wasn't enough for you any more..."

"I was an idiot, Sy. I didn't know what I was doing. You have to believe me, I didn't mean it, any of it. I can't cope without you, Sy. I need you."

"You don't trust me, Christian. You said yourself, if we don't have trust, then what's the point? We'll be back in the exact same position somewhere else down the line."

"I was scared, Sy. I could see that I was losing you to Amira again, and I panicked. I felt like I was losing you all over again. And I couldn't cope with that. Not again, Sy."

"And so you, what? Up and leave? We were supposed to be getting married, Christian." I'm on my feet by this point, pacing around the room as I try to get things straight in my head. "If you were so scared of losing me, why couldn't you stand up and fight for me?"

"You can't use that against me, Syed. You weren't so quick to fight in my corner when I was accused of touching Ben Mitchell." He's on the other side of the room from me now, and this talking doesn't seem to be getting us anywhere.

"I can't do this anymore, Christian. Me blaming you, you blaming me. This is getting us nowhere. Dredging up the past again, going through it over and over again. Is this how it's going to be between us if we give it another go? Whenever anything goes wrong, we come back to this?"

"It's not gonna be easy, Sy. And we need to work through our trust issues. But I've finally realised that we're worth fighting for. That, despite everything, my love for you can't be pushed under the carpet. I've known that I can't stop loving you for years now. I was a fool to try." I meet his eyes, and I can see the love for me shining in them. I realise that this isn't going to be easy, and I know that it's going to upset a couple of people - namely Amira and Mum - but I know that I can't give him up. I tried that once before and it almost killed me.

"You need to start talking to me about things, Christian. Stop keeping things bottled up. And I'll talk to you, too."

"I know, Sy. I won't lose you again. I can't." I offer him a shy smile, and he returns it with one of his own. I hold out my hand to him and he's across the room in a second. I feel his arms around me again and I feel at home for the first time in months. I bury my head into his shoulder and nothing else in the world seems to matter to me anymore. There's just me and him, inside our own little bubble. I look into his eyes and I feel myself fall all over again. Not that I ever really stopped. The Imam was right when he said that Allah created one soul to match another. The only thing he was wrong about was that my soul's partner wasn't to be found in Amira, or in any other woman, for that matter. Because it was here, in Christian. That was where my true home was.

I was suddenly nervous as I looked into his eyes and reached up slightly for a kiss. He must have sensed my tension, as he ran his fingers through my hair in the way that always used to soothe me before meeting my halfway and planting a gentle kiss on my lips. I feel bolts of electricity shoot through my veins, and I know that he feels it too by his intake of breath. His hands tighten in my hair as mine lock around his waist, and he deepens our kiss, his tongue teasing against mine as if his life depended on it. I felt my body start to respond on the way it always did to him, and just as things were starting to get heated, we both heard the slam of a door and the rustle of carrier bags. I dislodged my mouth from his, since we were about to be in company, but I refused to let my body move even a millimetre away from his.

"Sorry, Christian, I bumped into Denise, and you know what we get like when..." Jane stopped mid sentence as she saw us standing with our arms locked around one another. "Syed. You're back then?"

"Yeah, looks like it." I give her a small smile, making a mental note to thank her later for the part she played in getting me and Christian to see sense as get back together.

"How's your Mum?"

"Still a little shook up, but she's getting there. Thanks."

"Well, I can see that I'm obviously not wanted here, so I'll see you both later. Text me when it's safe to return!" she eyed Christian meaningfully, and I cringed at what she was suggesting. Christian, of course just laughed at my embarrassment and pulled me closer to him as Jane left, before moving to put the chain across the door.

"No more interruptions," he all but growled, before picking me up and carrying me into the bedroom.

_Just wondering if people want a bit of sexy time or if this should remain one of my only fics which isn't an M rating!_


	8. Chapter 8

**Title: Getting Back To You**

**Chapter Rating: K**

**Summary: After the events of 10/11/11, how can Chryed come back from the ashes of their relationship?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Christian and Syed, unfortunately. If I did, they would never have split up in the first place.**

_This will probably be the last time I update until after Christmas, so I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year!_

I breathe in and I can smell him around me. The smell that can only be described as pure Christian. I stretch out comfortably, but am immediately concerned when I feel the loss of his presence. I'm sure that I didn't dream last night. I'm sure that he's back in my life where he belongs. So why are all of my senses deceiving me? My eyes fly open and there's no sight of him. The crumpled sheets are wrapped around me and I shiver despite the warmth. Maybe I've finally cracked, and the last 24 hours never happened. Maybe I came back from Pakistan to find him gone, and I've fabricated this comfort story for myself. I'm out of the bed in an instant and have my dressing gown wrapped around me in protection from the winter chill. As I leave the bedroom, I hear the sound of the toaster popping and the hiss of the kettle as it boils.

"Jane?"

I almost jump out of my skin as he pops his head around the corner, and it's everything I can do to stop myself from jumping into his arms. He's really here!

"Sorry to disappoint, but it's just me. Jane spent the night at the B&B." He opens his arms wide and I'm inside their comfort and safety in a second, holding his as close as I can. He must have sensed my stress as he rubbed a hand soothingly up and down my back. "Hey? What is it?"

I shake my head at him, knowing he'll think I'm stupid for my fears. "It's stupid." I tell him.

"Hey, I thought we agreed to talk more?" he laughs, and I immediately feel more relaxed.

"You were gone when I woke up. I thought-"

"You thought I'd left again?"

I shake my head. "No, not left. I thought you were never here," I admit.

He hugged me tighter to him and lightly kissed the top of my head. "I'm not going anywhere, ever again." He promises. "I just wanted to make a start on breakfast. There's a flight to Pakistan tonight, of you need to be on it." He adds, quietly, almost as an afterthought.

I shake my head stubbornly. "I don't want to..."

"Buy you need to, Sy. Your mum needs you." I shake my head again and he laughs, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "I'll still be here when you get back."

"Amira's over there," I remind him. "And I want to enjoy having you to myself for a little while first. I can go back next week."

"To yourself?" He raises an eyebrow at me in question.

"Well, you do still want to adopt, right?"

He looks speechless, which is probably a first for Christian Clarke. "You know I do, Sy. But I though, with Yasmin.."

"You thought I wouldn't want to adopt anymore." I say it matter-of-factly, not as a question. "And I adore her, you know I do. But that doesn't stop me wanting a kid with you." Christian looks as though his eyes will pop out of his head, so I press a chaste kiss to his mouth before turning my attention to the breakfast he'd started making. "Now, are you going to let your man starve?"

c~s

I was almost ready to leave for Pakistan again. I really was. But something had been on my mind over the last week or so, and I felt like I had to do something about it before I left, or I knew I'd be in exactly the same position that I was in when I first went to Pakistan. Christian was settled back into the flat again, and it felt like he'd never been away for those long months. I knew he had a client in half an hour or so, but I knew if I didn't do this now, I'd end up losing my nerve.

"You got a minute?" I asked as I walked into the bedroom.

"For you? Ooh, I think I could squeeze you in," he grinned wrapping his arms around my waist. I shrugged out of his embrace, something is never done since he'd came back into my life. "Sy? What's wrong?"

I pushed him so he was sitting on the edge of our bed and knelt in front of him. "Do you remember before Amira came back? What we were trying to do?"

"Well yeah," he nods his head. "The adoption and everything. What are you getting at, Sy? You're scaring me."

"Before all of this happened, you asked me a question, but there was something standing in our way," I reach into my back pocket and hand him a piece of paper. "This arrived before you came back. At the time, it didn't really seem important. But now that you're back...well, you can see for yourself."

He opens the piece of paper and I can see the concentration on his face as he takes in the words written there. The words I'd stared at so many times over the last couple of days. "Sy, this is-"

"I know. It means we can move on with our lives, Christian. Finally." I reach under the mattress and pull out a tiny satin bag, opening it and placing the contents in his had. "I was saving these for Christmas. I know Muslims don't do Christmas, but I thought it would be nice. But then, well...you know."

He opens his hand to reveal the two sparkling silver rings in his palm. Then he looks back at the piece of paper in his other had. "Sy-"

"Marry me, Christian?" the question comes out more pleading than I was aiming for, but I don't care. I'm making myself more vulnerable to him than I have ever before, and I'm terrified that he'll reject me. He doesn't say anything though, just glances once again at the piece of paper announcing my divorce has been finalised before taking my left hand in his and slipping my ring onto my finger and kissing me hard. I smile into his kiss, taking his ring in my hand and slipping it onto his finger.

"I love you so much, Sy. I can't believe this is happening!"

"You better believe it, Clarkey. You have no idea how long it took me to convince Amira to sign those papers!"

He laughs, the sound music to my ears, and joins his left hand with mine, feeling our rings run together. He kisses me, lifting me from the floor to perch on his lap, and we both get so lost in the moment that neither of us hear the door opening. We do hear the sound of a throat being cleared, though, and break apart to look in the direction of the doorway.

"Well, isn't this cosy?"

I shift from my position on Christian's lap to sit by his side, keeping his hand firmly grasped in mine. "Amira.."


	9. Chapter 9

**Title: Getting Back To You**

**Chapter Rating: K**

**Summary: After the events of 10/11/11, how can Chryed come back from the ashes of their relationship?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Christian and Syed, unfortunately. If I did, they would never have split up in the first place.**

_Christian's back! Yay! We've had some chemistry filled moments, but I really want them to sit down and TALK. Without any interruptions. Never mind, I suppose we'll have to trust that they know what they're doing with our boys! _

"Hello Syed. Christian." She says my name more like an expletive, and I tighten my grip on Sy's hand. A million questions race through my mind and I struggle to focus on a single one.

"Amira?" Syed says her name again, as more of a question this time. "Why are you here? Where's Yasmin?"

She ignores his question, eyes darting around the flat. We'd put our photos back up once Sy had come back from Pakistan. "So while your Mum struggles to pick the pieces up in Pakistan, you've been here...with HIM? Didn't you spare a thought for your family, Syed?"

"Of course I did! In fact, I was getting on a plane at the end of the week to bring my family back here with me! Amira, what's wrong with Yasmin?" He's up and pacing the room now, and I want him back beside me more than anything.

"She's with her grandparents. The members of her family who actually care about her."

"I do care about her! But I had things I need to sort out here, first."

Amira opens her mouth to reply but at that moment, Sy runs his hand through his hair and she catches the glint of silver on his finger. She pulls his hand towards her and I see her eyes flash with hurt. I feel a little smug at that. I can't help myself. After all the hurt she's caused me in the past, it's about time she had a taste of her own medicine. "I see you had more important things to think about. I see you've got your feet back under the table," she turns to me and I can hear the venom in her voice.

"No darling, I never left. You were just keeping him warm for me," I can't help myself. I know it'll only make things worse, but her constant sniping at me is doing my head in. "Face it darling, you've lost. And there ain't nothing you can do about it."

"This isn't helping, Christian," Sy berates me, but I can hear in his voice that his attempt is half-hearted. "Come on Amira, why are you here?"

"I just wanted to let you know that me and Zainab have decided to stay in Pakistan. Indefinitely. Zainab's helping me with the business and taking care of Yasmin, and I've found myself someone who'll take care of us. Properly." I can hear the hidden meaning behind her words, and it instantly brings out my defensive side.

"Someone who'll buy you everything no questions asked, you mean." I'm practically snarling at her now, even though Sy has caught my eye in a silent warning.

"Of course, he doesn't know about you, Syed. Or about Yasmin." She paces around the flat, acting as though she owns the place. "I had to tell him that she was my niece, otherwise he never would have agreed to marry me." She takes off her glove and we see her sparkling diamond ring for the first time. "Lovely, isn't it? And a lot bigger than yours, Syed."

"You'd lie to your own daughter just so that you could marry into money? How sick are you?" I suppose I should t be so surprised, really. There's nothing Amira wouldn't do for money.

"If you hadn't ruined my life in the first place, I wouldn't need to. This is your fault, Christian. You took Syed away from me. You made me do this." I shake my head at her, and am about to reply but Sy gets there first.

"Come on, Amira. You can't seriously lie to Yasmin all her life. Leave her growing up thinking she doesn't have a mother or father!"

"Better that than have her wondering why her father left her for another man. Better than her wondering what HE had that she didn't."

"Come on, Amira. You know it's not about me choosing Christian over Yasmin. You know I want to be a part of her life as much as I want to be a part of Christian's." I feel my heart swell with love for Sy. He's obviously woken up to her manipulating ways since I left, and he's finally standing up for our relationship just like I always wanted him to. "I'm not going to let you manipulate me away from Christian again, Amira." He takes my hand in his again, showing our united front to her. "You can't take Yasmin away from me, Amira. I'll fight you every step of the way."

"What can you do, Syed? Yasmin's with her family, in the eyes of the law. She's not in any danger. What reason do they have to take her away?"

"How do you think your new husband will react when he finds out the truth? Do you really think he'll turn around and say everything's alright? Because the truth will come out eventually, Amira. I know that better than most." I squeeze his hand in support, and he grips onto mine as though his life depended on it. "I won't let you take my daughter away from me."

"WE won't let you," I add, emphasising our partnership to her.

"Come on Syed. You know the child almost always gets placed with the mother when these things go to court. Why waste all that time and money?"

"Because I will not let my daughter be lied to by the people who are supposed to love her the most!" There's an edge to Sy's voice that I haven't heard for a long time, perhaps since before we were together properly. It's the passionate Sy who I first fell in love with, back in all his glory. He was always this was with me when he felt his family was threatned, and he's back out in force now that it's happening again. "I mean, what's my Mum said about all of this? She can't think it's for the best, surely?"

"Actually, Zainab thinks its a terrific idea. Yasmin will want for nothing, and she'll be brought up properly, in the right community with the right attitudes. Zainab and I both agree that the rules of Islam have become too lax over in this country recently. We both think that a more traditional upbringing will be the best thing for Yasmin."

"Amira, you can't -"

"It's not a case of can or can't anymore, Sy," Sy flashes me a grin as she uses my nickname for him. She knows how much it infuriates me that she once called him that. "It's a case of has been done." She turns on her heel and walks to the door. "Oh, and by the way," she turns back to us one last time. "The wedding's in a week, so if you want to see your daughter one last time, I suggest you hurry back to Pakistan." She gives us a triumphant grin before walking out the door, slamming it behind her

_Happy New Year! _


	10. Chapter 10

**Title: Getting Back To You**

**Chapter Rating: K**

**Summary: After the events of 10/11/11, how can Chryed come back from the ashes of their relationship?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Christian and Syed, unfortunately. If I did, they would never have split up in the first place.**

_So EE have totally ruined my favourite couple! What are they even playing at? Very disappointed with canon right now so I'm going back to my non-canon as a coping mechanism. So this chapter may not be my best but I hope you enjoy anyway!_

I'm ready to go to Pakistan to fight for my little girl. As I turn to Christian in front of the airport building, I feel a strange sense of deja vu. Except that this time, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Christian will be waiting for me when I get back. I like that certainty.

"Safe flight, yeah?" Christian tucks a strand of hair behind my ear which promptly falls in front of my face again.

"I wish you could come with me," I admit, linking my fingers through his. "I always feel braver when you're by my side."

"You'll do great, I know you will. Now, you got all the paper work Ish gave you?"

"All in hand," I say, tapping my bag. I wasn't planning on staying long, so I'd only brought one change of clothing. I wanted to be back and starting my new life with my new family as fast as I could. Christian bends down to meet my lips as we hear the announcer call my flight number. "Well, that's me."

Christian pecks my lips one final time. "I love you."

"I love you too."

c~s

I arrive at the business office I'd been planning to run with Amira and find my Mum inside, writing some e-mails. I start to feel guilty about what I'm about to do to my Mum, but as long as I get my baby back, I almost don't care. God knows she's done her share of her lying in her time and, let's face it, why change the habit of a lifetime? I absentmindedly touch my ring finger, feeling it's loss since I stepped off the plane.

"It's so good to see you, Papou," she tells me, once the initial screaming and near-death hugging had stopped. "I've missed you,"

"I missed you too." At least this part of what I'm telling her is true. "Where's Yasmin? I can't wait to see her." I feel awful for decieving her like this, but I know that there's no other way.

"I've found myself a small apartment out here, it's not much, but it's nice."

"What about Yusef's house? Where's Amira staying? Mum, what's going on?" I fake pretence. I know Amira would never have told Mum about coming to see me. She woild have made up some excuse about seeing how things were going on the London business end. I've woken up to her manipulative ways since Christian left, and it's about time someone played her at her own game.

"I don't ever want to hear that man's name again, alright Syed? I sold the house, I wanted nothing more to do with him. I bought my apartment and gave half of the money to Afia and the other half to Amira for the business. His money is poison."

"Okay, I'm sorry. What about Yasmin?"

"She's living with me for a while, until Amira gets the business up and running. I'm telling you, Syed, that girl needs a break. She's almost run ragged!"

"Well, it's a good thing I'm back then, isn't it?" I flash her one of my smiles, and see her relax.

"Come on, I'm finished here, and I know a little girl who's desperate to see her daddy."

c~s

As soon as I have my daughter back in my arms, I feel more relaxed than I have done since I turned my back on Christian at the airport. She is one of the best things to have happened to me, and the only good thing to come out of my relationship with Amira. I know that I will love her unconditionally for the rest of my life. I make my excuses to be alone with her, and take her into her bedroom under the guise that I want to spend some quality alone tine with her. Of course, Mum doesn't object, why should she? I'm merely a father wanting to catch up on lost time with his daughter. I don't put her down for a second as I open drawers and cupboards until I find what I'm looking for; her passport. I smile triumphantly and kiss her head just as I hear voices in the next room. I grin again. This couldn't have gone any better if I'd planned it.

"Amira, hi," I say as I walk out into the room with Yasmin balanced on my hip and her passport tucked into my back pocket. Thankfully, she seems content to be held by me and seems to be in no hurry to go to her mother.

"Syed? What are you doing here?" She seems genuinely surprised, which is what I was aiming for. Good.

"I came to see Yasmin and Mum," I say simply, as though it's the most obvious thing in the world. "And, I've been in touch with my solicitor since you came to visit me last week," I move towards my bag, keeping one eye on Amira as I do so."

"Wait, you saw Syed last week?" Mum rounds on her now. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"And my solicitor was very interested in what I had to say. Or what you had to say, more specifically," I hand her the solicitor's letter from my bag and settle on the sofa as she reads it. I start pacing around the room with Yasmin, kissing her cheeks from time to time. "I don't take very kindly to someone threatening to take my daughter away from me, Amira. I told you I'd fight you all the way, and I forgot to mention my friend Ish, who is one of the best family law solicitors in the country. He's seemed very concerned with Yasmin's welfare when I told him that you were planning on lying to her her whole life."

"Papou, what's going on?"

"Don't pretend like you don't know, Mum. You knew that Amira was planning on marrying again, and that she was willing to lie to her husband about exactly who Yasmin was to get her own way. The two of you have been plotting against me ever since I left to go back to Walford to sort out the mess I'd left behind."

"Syed, you can't take her away from me. Please!" Amira's almost in tears now, which softens me a little, but not enough to give in to her.

"That letter states that you had no right to take her out of the country long term without agreeing it with me first. It also states that I'm to bring her back to London until we can come to an amiable agreement over who has priority access to her. Your solicitor will be hearing from my solicitor in due course."

"Syed, you know I can't tell Ahmed about Yasmin! He'd throw me out on the streets, make sure I'm marked a tainted woman in the whole of Karachi. My life would be over!"

"Then come to an agreement with me. Here and now. I've already had the papers drawn up. All you need to do is sign them." I fish them out of my bag and had them to her. "In short, they state that I will become Yasmin's primary source of care. I will bring her to Pakistan when I can to see you, and I will allow you access to her whenever you're in London. She will be allowed to stay with you, but only for two nights at a time until she is eighteen and legally free to make her own choices." I see her open and close her mouth several times as she scans the document. "It's either these terms, or I will take it to court, and everything will have to be out in the open."

"That's blackmail," she all but hisses at me.

"I prefer to think of it as a taste of your own medicine. You manipulated me as soon as you came back to Walford with Yasmin. You used her to get to me, and you almost broke my relationship apart." I fish in my back pocket for my engagement ring and place it back onto my finger. "So, what's it to be?"

"You really expect me to let you take my daughter and bring her up with **him?** You're crazy!"

"I'll see you in court, then." I make to take the papers back from her, but she pulls them back towards her.

"You will give me access whenever I want it. And keep **him **away from me when I do see my little girl?"

"Christian doesn't want to cause any more trouble, Amira. He just wants me, and, since I want Yasmin, be wants her, too. He'll stay away when she's with you. As will I. If you get an apartment in London, I'll bring her to you, and pick her up from you, but I'll leave you alone with her. If yo. Show me in the first year that you can be trusted to stick to the terms of the agreement. No longer than two nights and no taking her out of the country without my express permission first. Agreed?"

I hold my hand out to her and she eyes it warily. "And none of this will come out? Ahmed will be left in the dark?"

"Ahmed won't hear a word of it from me, I give you my word."

I look on in relief as Amira picks up a pen and signs the document. At last, everything is going right! She holds her arms out for Yasmin. "Let me say goodbye?"

"Of course." I carefully hand her over, packing the solicitors document safely away in my bag. "Mum, can you pack me some of Yasmin's things?"

"Yes, o-of course, Papou."

Amira hands Yasmin back to me, her face a little tear-stained, but I knew that this was best all round. Amira got the big house and the expensive cars and the holidays I'd never have been able to give her, and I'd get everything I'd ever wanted; my life with Christian and my baby. I sling my bag over my shoulder as Mum brings me one of Yasmin's bags.

"There's spare plane tickets with yours and Kamil's names on them if you want them, Mum. Tam misses you and Kamil, and I know Yasmin will miss her grandmother and her uncle Kamil."

"Really?" She seems happier than I have seen her in months, since before everything with Yusef. I know she misses her family, she just didn't want to leave her granddaughter. "Oh, thank you, Syed!"

I search in my bag and hand her the tickets. "They're for next week, in case you needed to get things sorted here. Amira, can you send the rest of Yasmin's things over? I know she'd like to be surrounded by her familiar things that remind her of her Mum." She nods her agreement, and, making sure I have Moose inside Yasmin's bag, I leave the flat with my daughter, finally feeling free.


	11. Chapter 11

**Title: Getting Back To You**

**Chapter Rating: K**

**Summary: After the events of 10/11/11, how can Chryed come back from the ashes of their relationship?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Christian and Syed, unfortunately. If I did, they would never have split up in the first place.**

_Sorry for the lack of updates to this one! I think the lack of Chryed on screen is partly to blame! Last chapter for this one! Thanks to everyone who's read/favourited/commented!_

Two years later...

I jolt out of my sleep and sit up in my bed. Rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I open them to be greeted with the sight of my daughter staring up at me. I let out a breath I wasn't aware I was holding and lock my hands together behind my head.

"Yasmin, you gave me a heart-attack!" I try to scold her, but find it almost impossible to when she looks at me this way. She knows very well how to look at me to get out of trouble. I look down to my side, noticing for the first time the absence of Christian by my side. "What are you doing up this early, baby? And where's Uncle Christian?"

"Come on, daddy! Get up!" She ignores me, pulling on my hand to attempt to get me out of my bed.

"Yasmin, it's only 6am!" I groan, reluctantly allowing her to tug me out of bed and pulling on my green dressing gown.

"But it's my birthday! You have to get up!"

"Is it?" I mock-gasp. "I must have forgotten!" She turns and looks at me with wide eyes, half in disbelief, half in horror. I laugh, scooping her up into my arms and fixing her with my gaze. "Joking!" She laughs with me, thumping ver tiny fist against my chest. "So, where is Uncle Christian?" We had decided that Christian would be "Uncle Christian" to Yasmin to avoid any confusion. And to avoid any further trouble with Amira. We'd both agreed that Amira would freak out if Yasmin started to call Christian "dad".

"He's already been up with me since 5am! Lazy daddy!" She struggles in my grasp, so I place her back onto the floor and she runs back into the living room. I yawn and stretch before following her.

"Ah, so daddy's finally out of bed!" I smile automatically as I hear his voice, walking around the corner to be greeted by his smile and a steaming up of coffee. I smile at him gratefully as he plants a kiss on my forehead. "I thought I'd get this little madam up and fed before waking you. But then she got a little impatient to open her presents!"

"Well, Syed always was difficult to wake up in the morning, even as a boy going to school." I turn my gaze to the sofa, where my Mum is sitting with Yasmin on her lap, waiting contentedly to open her gifts. I smile softly at her.

"Come on then, trouble." I take a mouthful of my coffee and move to the sofa, pulling Yasmin onto my lap as Christian sits on the arm of the sofa beside me. "You have permission to begin." She smiles at me widely, before turning her attention to her gifts. I'm almost in awe, watching my daughter open her birthday gifts, my husband's arm around my shoulders, my Mum sitting beside me, perfectly at ease with the whole situation. I think how far we've come in the last few years and I can't help the smile on my face from growing. I had never thought that I would get to have all this. A child, my family, and the love of my life.

Yasmin seems extremely content with her gifts, and is even more content with playing with the boxes that her toys came with. Mum left a few minutes ago, to help Tam and Afia get Wajid and Kamil ready for Yasmin's party, and I'm finally given the chance to spend some time with Christian while Yasmin is content to entertain herself.

"Thank you for helping out with Yasmin this morning. I owe you." He raises his eyebrows at me suggestively, and I shake my head at him.

"Well, as I remember it, I owed you one anyway, since I kept you up late last night." He grins at me, and I duck my head to hide the blush which covers my face. "Come on you, we'll be late for Yasmin's party if you don't go and get ready." He pecks my lips before moving to the sofa to convince Yasmin to stop playing with her toys, or rather, the boxes her toys came in, and get changed for her party. I head into our bedroom to get dressed. I look at a photograph of the three of us as I do so, thanking Allah for the gifts he's given me, and hoping that I get to keep them for a long time to come. Yasmin's spending the night with Amira tonight, so I'm taking Christian out to spend some quality time together. As much as I love Yasmin, I have to admit that I'm looking forward to having Christian to myself for a couple of days. I take one last look at the photo and walk out the door, amazed to see that Christian has managed to get Yasmin ready so quickly. He has a connection with her I can't even begin to understand, and while I was jealous of it at first, I'm in awe of it now. Christian and I take one of Yasmin's hands in our own and walk out the door.

My perfect family.

Together.


End file.
